Education and Science, EU – Baltic States, Modern EU

The foundations of a true European Education Area have been laid some years ago by the EU and the member states’ efforts to strengthen excellence and inclusion, as well as creating a future in which learning abroad will become standard for most of young people. European Universities are being developed, a game changer for students and Europe’s higher education landscape.

See some articles on European education area and universities in “The Baltic Course”:

- Creating European Education Area: challenges for the Baltic States. In:

http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/modern_eu/?doc=138222&ins_print;

- Mobility and education progress in modern EU. 23.07.2018. In:

http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/modern_eu/?doc=141684&ins_print;

- European Education Area by 2025: potentials for growth, jobs and unity. In:  

http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/education/?doc=135103&ins_print;

- European universities’ alliance for education quality. In:

http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/modern_eu/?doc=150011&ins_print

New recent EU initiatives like the European Solidarity Corps and DiscoverEU are enabling young people to bring positive change to communities and experience what it feels like to be Europeans.

Towards a European Education Area

It is in the shared interest of all EU Member States to harness the full potential of

Education and culture are within the member states’ own competence; however, the EU institutions assist in numerous ways education and training. The reason is that progressive education is a good driver for job creation, economic growth and improved social cohesion, as well as a means to experience European identity in all its diversity. 

The Commission is developing initiatives to help work towards a European Education Area. The vision contained within this policy is that, across the EU: 

• spending time abroad to study and learn should become the norm,
• school and higher education qualifications should be recognised across the EU,  
• knowing two languages in addition to one’s mother tongue should be standard,
• everyone should be able to access high-quality education, irrespective of their socio-economic background, and
• a person should have strong sense of identity as a European, following the Europe’s cultural heritage and its diversity.
• 
  

Source: https://ec.europa.eu/education/education-in-the-eu/european-education-area_en

To keep up EU’s commitment to youth, the Commission’s intention is to double funding for the Erasmus program. For example, an extended program Erasmus+ is the EU's program to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Its budget of €14.7 billion will provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, and gain experience abroad.

Set to last until 2020, Erasmus+ doesn't just have opportunities for students: merging seven prior programs, it has opportunities for a wide variety of individuals and organisations.

More in: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/about_en

The second European Education Summit will be hosted by the EU Commissioner for education and culture in Brussels (26 September) and will explore the next steps for the member states in progressive education. The second education summit is focusing on the teaching profession and is entitled: ‘Teachers first: excellence and prestige for the European Education Area’. 

Source: https://ec.europa.eu/education/summit_en?msg_pos=2